Stocking



- `Patented lan. 3, |899. J. F. NELSON.

STOCKING.

(Application led Dee. 29, 1897.)

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. Patented 1an; 3, 1899.

J. F. NELSUN.

STOCKING.

(Application tiled Dec. 29, 1897.)

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JOIIN F. NELSON, OF ROOKFORD, ILLINOIS.

STOCKING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,040, dated `January3, 1899. Applicationiilecl December 29,1897. Serial No. 664,356. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. NELSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rockford, in the county of `Winnebago and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stockings, of whichthe following is a specification.

According to the invent-ion herein described I have provided a machinemade ribbedtop knit stocking without seam throughout. IIeretofore whenribbed-top stockings have been made on circular-knitting machines it hasbeen customary to first knit a ribbed top on one machine, then transferthe ribbed top to another machine, and then continue the knittingthereon to complete the article; but the stocking thus made is notfinished, as it invariably has an opening at the toe which must beclosed by hand or by a separate inachine. j i

In making ribbed-top stockings on straight or parallel row machines theribbed tops and the other portions of the stockings are knit on separatemachines and arejoined by seams made by a third machine. In myapplication for patent Serial No. 664,355, filed December 29, 1897, Ihave described a machine which knits by one continuous operation ofautomatic mechanism the entire stocking from the toe to the end of theribbed top by simply forming a series of interlocking loops to producewales which are continuous throughout not only the toe, foot, heel, andleg of the sock, but also throughout the rib and at the joint of the ribwith the leg, no seam whatever being formed to close any openings as noopenings are left in the process of knitting and no parts are separatelyformed that are required to be joined by seams.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is an elevation of a sockembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the manner inwhich the ribbed top of the sock is joined to the body portion thereofand in which the two sides of the ribbed top are joined to each other.

In knitting my improved sock by the mechanism shown and described in myapplication for patent above mentioned the set-up is 5o formed on theline o, a, and the toe is knit by a series of courses in order forming aseries of wales l 2 3, &c., until the knitting is completed from to at.After the toe is completed the foot is formed bya series of coursesforming a series of wales 5 6 7, duc., until the knitting is completedfrom the line on to the line y y', where the heel commences. The heel isformed, as heretofore, by knitting a series of courses forming a seriesof wales 10 l1 12, dre., from the line y 'y' to the line e e', and theleg of the stocking is knit by a series of courses forming a series ofwales 15 1G 17, cbc., until the line w w is reached. The toe isknit byone row of needles, such as the back row, the foot portion is knit byboth rows of needles, the heel is knit by the back row, and the leg isknit by both rows of needles.

It will be observed that the wales are continuous throughout the socknot only in the toe, foot, heel, and leg portion, but also in the riband at the joint of the rib with the leg. By this arrangement thestocking is made elastic and there are no seams or rid ges,which wouldbe produced if the Wales were broken.

A single yarn may be used to knit the toe, foot, leg, and heel, ordifferent-colored yarns may be used-for instance, white yarn may beemployed to knit the toe and heel and blue yarn to knit the foot and theleg-it being perfectly practicable to change the yarns without leavingopenings or otherwise marring the texture of the goods. In knitting thetoe and the foot no opening is left between them, as is the case whensocks are knit on circular machines, but the toe is joined to the footin the process of knitting by interlocking loops in the manner describedin my application for patent above mentioned. In fact, there is noopening left in any part of the sock, the knitting-needles being sooperated in my machine as to properly form and join loops in such manneras to produce a uniform fabric.

Fig. 2 shows the manner in which the ribbed top is joined to the bodyportion of the sock. A indicates the body portion of the sock, and B Bthe two sides or parts of the ribbed top. The section of the fabricshown in Fig. 2 is supposed to be taken lout of the IOO sock within thelines q, as indicated in Fig. l. The ribbed top in my improved sock ismost conveniently made by two separate yarns. The yarn a of the bodyportion of the sock is indicated in Fig. 2 by parallel lines andcross-shading. The yarn b of one side of the ribbed top is indicated byparallel lines wit-h white centers, while the yarn c of the other sideof the ribbed top is indicated by parallel lines and parallel shading.

It will be observed that the first course of loops in the ribbed top arejoined on to the last course of loopsin the body portion by the regularor usual method of joining loops. Each alternate loop of the ribbingpasses over the end portion of a loop in the body, while each otheralternate loop of the ribbing passes under the end portion of a loop inthe body. This is the usual way of producing ribbed work, and throughoutthe ribbed top the loops are alternately arranged in the manner justdescribed.

The manner of joining the two sides or two parts of the ribbed top isindicated in the central portion of Fig. 2. This joint is of peculiarand novel formation. In Fig. l the joint between the two parts of theribbed top on one side is indicated at o. There is a joint directlyopposite to that shown in the drawings, and the manner of forming bothjoints is the same as that indicated in Fig. 2. The thread b for formingthe ribbed fabric on one side is carried back and forth to form a seriesof loops, as indicated on the left-hand side of Fig. 2. There is nothingpeculiar in the manner of forming the loops in the main body of thisfabric; but there is a peculiarity in the manner of turning the yarn ateach end of the ribbed fabric. Following, for instance, the first lineof loops Z1 in Fig. 2-namely, that one which joins the last or top lineof loops in the body portion A-it will be observed that the yarn passesto the right, and when it comes to the loop L it first passes over theend portion Z thereof, forms a loop M, then passes over the portionZagain, then under the righthand side portion Z of the loop L, then backagain under the slide portion of the loop M formed by it, (thread 6,)then over the end portion of the loop L, and then the thread b continuesto form loops toward the left-hand sideof the fabric, as shown in Fig.2. It will be observed that the thread b forms a small side or selvageloop N at the right-hand end of the part B of the fabric. There aresimilar side or selvage loops N at one end of each course of knitting inthe ribbed portion B.

The left-hand end of the portion B' of the ribbed fabric is joined tothe right-hand end of the portion B in the following manner: The threadsc are made to form loops, which are joined to the body portion A and toeach other, as heretofore described, and in the usual way to form ribs;but at the left-hand end of the fabric B the threads are disposed in apeculiar manner. Following, for instance, the first thread c-na1nely,that just above the body portion-it will be seen that it interlocks withthe body-loops in the usual way, but after-it leaves the end loop O thethread c passes under the sides of the loop L, then over one of theyarns Z2 of the adjacent loop Q, then under one of the sides of theloopM, then through the small side or selvage loop N, then across to thefabric B, and the yarn is then led through the previously-formed loopsto form a new course of loops. The several courses are made in this waythroughout the fabric. The opposite ends of the two portions of theribbed-top fabric are joined in the same way. One portion of the ribbedtop may have selvage-loops N at one end and elongated loops P at theopposite end, or one portion of the fabric may have selvage-loops ateach end, while the other has elongated loops at its opposite ends. Theupper edge of the ribbed top may be finished in any suitable way, theoperation of nishing this edge being very simple and very quickly done.So far as I am aware I am the first to produce a machineknit sock whichis without seam throughout and which is provided with a ribbed top, andalso to provide a sock in which the wales are continuous in the leg andribbed top.

NVhen I refer in the claims to uninterrupted knitted loops, I mean thatthe loops of the ribbed top join directly with the loops of the plainportion of the sock without the interposition of a welt of one or morecourses of loops of a different or irregular formation and that theloops throughout the entire stocking are regular in formation and notinterrupted by seams, welts, or the like. In my improved stocking thefirst course of loops in the ribbed top are joined directly to the lastcourse of loops in the plain knitted leg of the sock and there is noseam, ridge, or welt or other irregular formation at the junction of theribbed top with the body of the stocking.

I claim as my inventionj 1. A machine-knit completed sock or stockinghaving a ribbed top and formed throughout its entire length Without seamby uninterrupted knitted loops.

2. A machine-knit completed sock or stocking having a ribbed top andformed throughout its entire length without seam by succes` sive rows ofuninterrupted interlocking knitted loops.

3. A machine-knit sock or stocking having a ribbed top, and formedthroughout its entire length without seam by uninterrupted knitted loopswhich produce wales that are continuous throughout the toe, foot, heeland leg, and which join by knitted loops the ribbed top.

4. A machine-knit sock or stocking having a ribbed top and formedthroughout its entire length without seam by successive rows ofuninterrupted interlocking knitted loops which produce a series of waleswhich are continuous throughout the toe, foot, heel, leg and IOO IIO

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ribbed portion, the Wales of the ribbed porbreak or interruption at thejoint of the leg,` 1o tion thereby forming eontinuations of the With theribbed top.

Wales of the leg` portion Without any break, In Witness whereof I havehereunto subridge or enlargement at the joint. scribed niy name.

5. A machine-knit sock or stoekinff havin@ A a ribbed top and form edthroughout ints entire JOHN F' NELSON length Without seam byuninterrupted knit- Witnesses: ted loops which produce Wales in the leg`and FRITHIOE NELSON,

ribbed top that are continuous and Without JOHN P. F'ISK, J r.

